Door device



B. J. CRAIG jam. 18, 1949.

DOOR DEVICE s Shets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. l2, l940 INVENTOR.

Jan.18,1949. I B. J. CRAIG 2,459,502

DOOR DEVI CE Original Filed Feb. 12, 1940 s Shams-sheet 2 F .1. g. E 2 46 J c: $30 37 31 L..-

I9 34 Z0] 1? I 34 u 25 25 INVENT OR.

Patented Jan. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT 4 OFFICE DOOR DEVICE Burnie J. Craig, Los Angeles, Calif.

Original application February 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,397. Divided and this application April 1'7, 1944, Serial No. 531,453

Claims.

This invention relates to a door device.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel door construction particularly adapted for use in automotive vehicles.

. A further object of the invention is to provide,

tours at the joint between a sliding automotive Y vehicle door and its body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction for sealing the joint between an automotive vehicle door and its body.

Other objects and the advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a vehicle which has door devices thereon embodying the features. of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the vehicle with the body panels partly broken away, to show the frame;

Fig 3 is a side elevation of the vehicle with the body panels partly broken away to show the frame;

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are enlarged fragmentary sections taken on lines 4-4, and 5--5, respectively, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing the upper portion of a door;

Fig. 'l and Fig. 8 are fragmentary, enlarged sections taken on lines 'l--'| and 8-8, respectively, Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9-4, Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a section taken on line Ill-40, Fig. 7.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 318,397, filed February 12, 1940, now Patent No. 2,349,940, granted May 30, 1944.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, the invention is shown as embodied in an automotive vehicle which is indicated generally at l. The vehicle includes wheels 2 which support a body 4.

The body includes a frame I3 which supports front door and windshield pillars 14, body pillars l5, and rear door pillars IS. The pillars support an upper frame member H which connects the pillars to provide the body with substantially planar framed door openings. The upper frame member I1 is engaged by a top [8.

As shown the frame includes two half-frame members !9 (see Fig. 2) each having a side rail 2i! with a half-X cross member 2! secured thereto. Each rail 20 further has a front half-cross member 22 and a rear half-cross member 23 secured thereto. The half-cross members 22 and 23 are shown as braced by diagonal members 24 and 25.

Each rail 20 further includes outwardly directed hangers 26, 21 and 28 which support outer rail members 29 which latter in turn support the pillars I4, l5 and I6 previously mentioned. In the disclosure the pillars l4 and it are continued inwardly above the door areas as at 30 and 3! to engage the top.

The upper half-frame members I! each includes an intermediate portion 33 which connects the pillars and which issupported on the top of the body pillars I5 as by welding and is secured to the outer face of the upper ends of the door which engage the inner surface of the front and rear of the top l8.

The half-frames are shown as secured together by members 88 and SI] while the portions 30-3l and 34 are shown as welded together at 9| and 92, respectively.

In the disclosure the members l1 support track members 35 which serve to support sliding doors. The track members 35 as shown are of general inverted U-shape and secured in place as by bolts 36 inserted through suitable apertures in the members ll. A drain and trim strip 31 may be included between the members I! and 35 and this trim strip may align with trim strips secured to the top l8.

Without inferential limitation to such shapes, certain of the part-frame members are shown as tubular in form being, for instance, substantially rectangular in cross section thereby providing great strength with a minimum of weight.

The members l4 and it, within thearea of the doors, are-preferably of the cross section shown in Figs. '4 and 5, respectively, and include outwardly directed shoulders 4| and 42 which engage inwardly. directed shoulders 43 and 44 on the doors. Direct contact of the shoulders may be portion vhaving an "outwardly directed broken contour with the adjacent side wall portions of the body which are rounded about up and down axes as at 43". The pillars l 4 and I6 include projecting flanges 46 on which panels 41 and 48 constituting a part of the body are secured.

As shown the doors 40 include projecting cantilever arms 49 and 59 which support rollers 5|. On each" side iof ithe vejhicle "the {cantilever arms on the "front and'rear doors are arranged to move in parallel spaced planes so that they do not interfere with each others movement. The cantilever construction permits the doors to -;be opened fully as shown in Fig. 1 (in broken lines) while still maintaining the rollers bl "in-engagement with their respectivetracks.

The doors 4!! include upperiflangesfiz which extend over the area of the tracks. Each door also includes a lower frame and bumper member 53- which extends acrossthe door and has a width equalling the thickness-of the door. The member -i-53'is disposed in alignment"with*the:adjacent outer rail 29 so that on-slight movement of ithe door -'inwardly the bumper :directly :engages the -lrame rail and thereby serves as :a crash" bumper to'transfer the impact of blows directlyonto the "frame thus" protecting the door.

The frame and bumper members 53 each support roller assemblies'b l including rollers 55. The *assembliesbfl are secured at 55 to an inner 'door frame member BB clamped to the bumper bt by bolts '57. The rollers 55 are spaced to receive a flange '58 which is shown as a continuation of one side of-the outerrail Z-B-so-"that-the'need*for a separate track' for the lower rollers is avoided.

Above the "door areas the-portionsSU and 3l-of the members It and I6 may be of the shape shown in Fig. 9 with the iiange-A'B-omitted. The perim- -eter of the closed portions 'of the members M and of :the 'members -I-6 "and their extensions 30 and 3 I is 'preferably uniform throughout their lengths.

The doors include cushion members 60 (see Fig. 10) which are-positioned to engagethe pillar "lb-and thereby form-awea'ther tight joint. The

trackmembers "3-5 and' rollers 5| provide coacting guide means for the doors so thatthe-doorsmay slide outwardly and "clear of the rounded body side wall in 'a continuous path Without the use ofofisettingtracks orlin'k-hinges. The shoulders 4| and 42 and the pillars [5 act as stop members to limit the closing movement of the-doors.

Having thus described "my invention, "I claim: 1. An automotive vehicle construction including'a"body, said body having a frameddoor openingwith one edge of the opening defined by a shoulder, said body, adjacent"toth-e-shoulder, having aside wall which is rounded about an up and down axis and a door, coacting guide means on the door and body to mount the door for sliding "movement, said door including an "outer ;panel "which is rounded about an 'up and down axis at the one end which trails when the door is being closed,

.said door :at the :one end having aninwardly di- .,r ected shoulder -chan eable with :said outwardly directed loody shoulden.saiddoorhaving aninner panelspaoed from thieonter paneL'sa'id dooribeing slidableiacross the framedppening in such a man- ..nerithat ,theinwardlyedirected shoulder on the door may slideoutwardlyand clear of therounded ,bod-yside .wall in.a,,continuous path without the :use of ofisetting tracks sor link-hinges.

x2. .An r-automotive vehicle construction includ- ..ing ,a body havinga framed door opening, a door .ior the opening, coasting ,mea-n'son the Joe dy and door to mount the door for sliding movement,

ing a-portion engagea'blewith the shoulder portion to limit the closing movement of the door, the door being slidable across the framed opening inthe body in such a manner that the inner panel portion of the door may slide clear of the rounded ibodyside wall portion in a continuous path without the use of offsetting tracks or link-hinges.

3. :An automotive vehicle construction including azbody having a substantially planar framed door openin with one edge of the opening defined by a portion having an outwardly directed shoulder, a door for the opening, coacting guide means on the door and body to mount the door for sliding movement, the door on the :oneend 'which trails when the' door is'being closed having an inwardly directed shoulder cengageable'with the outwardly directed :body shoulder, the planar "framed opening being defined, adjacent to the location where the oneend of therdoor is'positioned when the door is closed, by .a side wall portion which is rounded about an up anddown axis, the door having :an outer panel which is 'ro'unded-aboutan up and down axis at the :said one end and having a substantially planar inner 'panel spaced from the outer-:paneL-the doorbeing slidable 1 across the framed door opening in :such a "manner that the inwardly directed shoulder on the edge of the door may slide outwardly and "clear'of-the rounded-body side wall portion in a continuous path without the use of offsetting tracks or link-hinges.

An automotive vehicle construction includinga'body having a pair of adjacent frameddoor -openi-ngs;a-door for each opening,-coactingmeans on the ubodyand doors to mount each door'for sliding movement, :each "framed opening :being defined, adjacent to the location "where one end of the door for that opening is positioned when thedoor is closed, by .a body sidewall portion which is rounded about an up and down axis, each .door havingan outer panel which, at the one end, is rounded about an :up and down axis, each door having an inner panelportiOn-thebody having stop forming projecting shoulder portions and reach door having .a projecting portionengageable with a body shoulder portion, each door .beinglslidable across its framed opening in .the body in such a manner that the inner panel portion of the door may slide clear of the adjacent rounded body side Wall portion in a continuous path w'ithout'the use of offsetting tracks or linkhinges.

i5.i,An .autom otive vehicle body having Trontand .rear door openings, .a forwardly opening front door/and arearwardly openingrear door'forthe openings, each (door comprising .alsingle ,unit, the inside'surfaceof the doorswhenclosed beinggsub- .stantially coplanaigthe upperportionof theiront .,door,having a rearwardly projeoting 'SIll POrting 5 outer face of the body, the portion of each door which leads when the door is being opened being free of attachment to the hangers.

- BURNIE J. CRAIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,610 Whitney Mar. 4, 1930 D. 85,298 Montgomery Oct. 6, 1931 D. 96,860 Ryan Sept. 10, 1935 643,307 Schmitt' Feb. 13, 1900 989,488 Danner Apr. 11, 1911 1,040,483 Zirkle Oct. 8, 1912 1,051,916 Romer .et a1. Feb. 4, 1913 1,152,665 Sneddon Sept. 7, 1915 Number Name Date Phillips Mar. 20, 1917 Guerrent Jan. 17, 1922 Small May 14, 1929 Bally Sept. 26, 1933 Herman May 8, 1934 Christianson et a1. May 22, 1934' Nichols Aug. 29, 1939 Votypka Jan. 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 25, 1928 Great Britain May 2, 1929 Great Britain May 28, 1931 Great Britain Mar. 22, 1938 Great Britain Oct. 5, 1938 Great Britain May 16, 1939 

